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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Hollywood stars wear some amazing jewelry in movies; usually lots of sparkles. When I mean sparkles, I mean "Diamonds". As a jewelry designer, I always pay extra attention to jewelry worn in the movies I watch. It is hard not to....

My all time favorite is the heart of the ocean necklace by Kate Winslet in Titanic. The other one is the ruby and diamond necklace set Richard Gere has given to Julia Roberts in the Pretty Women movie. Not only the beauty of this pieces, but also the romantic, memorable scenes in these movies makes those two my favorite celebrity movie jewelry.

Do you have any favorite jewelry worn by some of your top movie stars

in some top films?

Recently I watched two movies that has given me inspiration. I will start with Eat, Pray and Love or I should say: Eat, Pray and Accessorize. I absolutely fell in love with the beaded jewelry Julia Roberts worn in this movie. Have you seen the movie? What do you think? I came up with this carnelian necklace that I recently posted on my Etsy jewelry shop. I relate this necklace to the theme of a women's journey for self-fulfillment and happiness.
As I name it, it ispretty jewelry for pretty women.

The next movie that inspired me is Black Swan. Natalie Portman looks glamorous with beautiful Swan costumes and sophisticated make-up. While my jewelry designs is not the actual jewelry worn in Black Swan, it's has got the fragility, femininity, poverty and grace you will see in the ballerina characters captured in Black Swan.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

It was raining when I woke up this morning. It is one of those days in Seattle: a rainy day. I looked at my phone to see how the weather will be this week. I was not that surprised to see that it will rain the whole week. Seattle averages 158 days of measurable rain and 226 days of some cloud cover every day. That is lots of rainy days.

The rain inspired me to make this raindrop crystal necklace today. I also looked up on Etsy to see rain inspired arts and found this beautiful art print by enduringarts. I picked this inspirational art print for the Best of the week Etsy finds by A Cup of Sparkle. I absolutely loved the quote and the text font&blue colors.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

One of my coworkers came around last week wondering if I would make matching necklace for the Caribbean blue crystal earrings in my A Cup of Sparkle Etsty shop. She likes wearing necklace and earrings together like I do. Here is what I came up with. I used the same circle design that completed the spring/summer look. I am very pleased with my first custom design. What do yo think?For the picture below, I actually used one of the photographs I have taken from my vacation to Caribbean as the background. The colors are so charming. I absolutely love the blues.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Looking for handmade Easter gift ideas or a way to accessorize your outfit this spring?A Cup of Sparkle bird nest handmade designs are now 20% OFF until the Easter Day; April 24th. Easter eggs are special eggs that symbolizes the rebirth of the Earth in celebrations of spring. The pendant shaped as a bird's nest is made from lengths of sterling silver wire hand weaved irregularly into a ball shape.

You can customize these eggs with any color of your choice and any number of eggs you would like on your nest. They are also great gifts for mothers and babyshowers. Cute easter jewelry for women...Here are some of the designs from my shop.Aren't they pretty?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Bosphorus (Bogazici or Istanbul Boagzi) is a 32km (20 miles) long strait that separates the two continents Asia and Europe. It joins the Sea of Marmara with Black Sea in Istanbul, Turkiye.Turkish word for Bosphorus is the same as the word for throat in English which always reminds me of fresh air and free flowing waters.

Istanbul draws its strength from Bosphorus. The shores are dotted with yalis, or classic waterfront mansions, built as early as the 18th century: yellow, pink, and blue wooden palaces perched along the waterfront. This wooden houses have been a symbol of wealth, power and status with its spectacular location and architecture.

A view from Bosphorus

Bosphorus shores offer a delightful mixture of past and present. My trips to Istanbul has always been one of my great travel experiences.

Have any of you been in Istanbul or want to go to Istanbul?

Jade Necklace

I named this authentic necklace 'Bosphorus'. The inspiration for this piece comes from contemporary and historic art which is also why I picked the ornamental stone Jade. Carved green jade flowers with pastel orange beads are center pieced with a detailed sterling silver pendant. The green jade flowers represents the natural beauty around the Bosphorus and the silver pendant represents the bridges connecting Asia and Europe that I am happy to share its inspiration story with you.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Craving change?Pillows are one of the easiest and most affordable ways to decorate your house with a new style. Adding a pillow or two on a sofa, chair or a bed can create instant makeovers. .If you like outdoors, you can bring nature to your house by using nature-theme patterns such as animals, birds, flowers or shells. Or rocks.... I picked this square shaped rock garden pillow covers by miasole for the Best of the week Etsy finds by A Cup of Sparkle. Rocks are made out of fleece and felt for varied tones of gray, filled with poly fiber and tacked randomly in place. The pattern of this pillow cover is very original and fun! Looks so comfy... Don't you agree?

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

It is not red, not brown not orange- maybe more a reddish brown or an orangey brown. Something in between... sophisticated, rich and spicy. Pretty! Aspice from the dried aromatic bark of the cinnamon tree has long history both as a spice and as a medicine. Cinnamon's popularity continued throughout history.

Diane Von Furstenberg 2011 Spring Collection

From my kitchen to my wardrobe, I like the diversity of colors in cinnamon most. Colorful season is coming soon with the weather warming up. Many of the fashion designers featured cinnamon this spring paired with Azure, purple, tangerine, greens and scarlet. According to the experts, cinnamon will look best on warm skin tones.

Spring 2011 Fashion trends was the inspiration to A Cup of SparkleCinnamon Plumeria Flower Necklace. This one of a kind necklace features a gold plated plumeria flower dangling delicately from a silk cinnamon color ribbon. Very rich pistachio colored freshwater pearl adds more warmth and beauty to this piece that will spice up your wardrobe! This necklace is a combination of fashion and colors of nature that I am happy to share its inspiration story with you.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Crocus flowers would be one of the first blooms you will notice right at the end of the winter season. It will be telling you that the spring is just around the corner... or you will see them in the autumn after all the other flowering plants. There are between 80 to 300 different species of crocus. It dazzles with its enormous array of colors from lilac, yellow, white and mauve. Under its delicate petals, it will surprise you even more with more beautiful colors from different tones of oranges to reds.

In addition to its beauty, autumn crocus is also the source of saffron used in cooking as a seasoning and coloring agent. Saffron or also known as safran is the most expensive spice by weight. [Wikipedia, wordprofit.com]Can you believe that it takes 100,000 flowers to produce 2lb of saffron?

A lilac crocus was the first bloom in my garden which was the inspiration to A Cup of Sparkleamethyst necklace and earrings. The faceted drop shapedamethyst gemstones are paired with detailed sterling silver caps. Simple and elegant... Crocus is known with its ability to thrive in snow, mud and ice. This is what this necklace and earrings represent: the positive energy and being strong. This necklace and earrings are a combination of nature and arts that I am happy to share its inspiration story with you.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

I am so excited to announce this months giveaway for A Cup of Sparkle readers: Two Zenith Bath Turkish Towels by The Turkish Towel Company

The Turkish Towel Company generously sent me two Zenith bath towels. These hotel-quality towels are made of 100% premium Turkish cotton for superior durability, softness and absorbency. I picked the antique Rose color but; these towels are available in different colors: both light and dark colors. Zenith line has patterns sewn on both borders which I found very stylish.

Whether it is for your family or for your guests, Turkish Towel Company would be the perfect choice to buy towels from. It is very true that even though you spend more upfront for these towels, you will benefit from its softness and absorbency much more longer than any other towels. I have used it and they are just like my Turkish towels I brought back from Turkey: very comfortable, soft and plush.Turkish Towel Company also carries bath robes, organic towels, slippers, pool towels and even oversize bath towels; all designed for your comfort.

To enter this giveaway for two Zenith Bath Towels:1- Follow this blog2- Like 'A Cup of Sparkle' on Facebook (if you have an account)3- Follow 'A Cup of Sparkle' on Twitter (if you have an account)4- Tell me what your favorite piece is in my Etsy jewelry store by simply commenting to this post

Giveaway ends on March 31st, 2011 at 11:59 pm PST. The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply back before a new winner is selected. Good Luck!

I love bags and patchwork so; I thought I will share one of my finds on Etsy that has both in it.

This mustard yellow and charcoal grey tote by ChandaHelzer is this weeks Best of the week Etsy finds by A Cup of Sparkle. I absolutely loved the bird designs. I normally like patchwork but; I am not a big fan of too many color and design combinations. I prefer things that looks simple. This tote is just perfect in that sense. It would make a great accessory for spring and summer days.
Congratulations ChandalHelzer!

About Me

Welcome to A Cup of Sparkle. My name is Melike. I am the designer and owner of A Cup of Sparkle Jewelry shop and blog. I love creating and sharing.
You can view my complete profile by clicking the "About Me" page.
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